Hey Sales Skills Training Company, Where did you Go?

Sadly, each year companies spend billions and billions of dollars for Sales Skills training from Miller-Heiman to DEI to the TAS Group. As a corporate trainer and owner of Training To Go, I should be ecstatic that businesses spend so much for the type of training I conduct!! So where is the disconnect? 

Well, the disconnect is just that -- a disconnect between: 

- Customer and Training Company.  This happens because training companies ignore their opportunity and obligation to tailor all sales skills for their customer who is paying hand over fist to get good sales skills training. 

- Training Company and student.  This happens because training companies bail as soon as their training sessions are complete, failing to coach and lead students toward success. 

You should be appalled at how all these "Training Companies" conduct business because they are taking advantage of America's businesses. It's the wrong approach. 

Email me for a detailed description of the CORRECT approach! One that works, is sustainable, and remains CONNECTed. 

kevin@pb4r.com

Success -- VoIP Launch 2008!!

I had the distinct pleasure of launching a revamped Voice over IP (VoIP) service to about 100 telecom sales reps nationwide this past month. What a huge success!

Our team had tons of information to work with from sales interviews to service and support issues now resolved to specific product detail. The result? World-class VoIP Workshop training! 

The 8-hour session gleaned such responses as, "I have never had a training this good in my 20+ years of sales" and "This is the single best training I have ever received, thank you Kevin Huff!!" 

I love it when we have the time, tools, and talent to put together winning training solutions like this one -- it allows us to see that we CAN CHANGE the game of training. 

Go change the game where YOU train!!

2 Steps Forward...

...3 steps backward.

I recently blogged about my strong desire and plan to change the game in training. Just this week we experienced the pain of not taking time to do a training needs analysis when the initial results of our level 3 evaluations started rolling in.

Setup: I'm training for a large corporation who, in January, decided to launch a new sales team but refused my request to perform a Training Needs Analysis opting instead for "the same new hire training you've given us before."

Action: I trained the new reps -- whose role is definitely different than the typical newly hired sales reps I normally train -- using the existing new hire training material.

Result: Poor performance and the blame game has begun. I don't want to play that game, though! I want to CHANGE the game...

Response: The leadership team has now agreed to let me conduct the Training Needs Analysis so we can develop targeted training for this new sales role.

Expected Outcome: Success!

Lessons learned: I need to push MUCH harder if I want to actually change the game. I will. Please join me -- what are your stories? What are your unfreezing strategies?

iTraining 2.0

By now you've heard the term Training 2.0. The concept is closely tied to Web 2.0 which purports to take the web from the browser to multiple devices you are likely to have on your person at any given point in time: wireless phone, PDA, MP3 player, etc.

The goal with Training 2.0 is to then take web-based training (WBT) to those same devices ... only I think we're missing something here. I have several clients that are begging for Training 2.0 services and in so doing are completely ignoring several fundamental adult learning theory arguments.

We know 70% of adults learn best visually, 23% do so kinesthetically, and 7% learn best using auditory means. Pushing training to smaller devices that don't easily provide visual, kinesthetic, and auditory styles of delivery will reduce overall learning and retention.

Let me introduce, instead, iTraining 2.0...a simple concept in which all the former modes of training are not forgotten but instead they are enhanced both online (WBT) and in the training 2.0 environment.

iTraining 2.0 will let all students take training in the mode best suited for them. It may be the standard talking head video, accompanying slide show, perhaps the old standby scrolling text is there as well. Additionally, it will include other styles of delivery similar to the UPS whiteboard commercials or this whiteboarding gem from Matt Dickman, and it should include what I'll call the new felt-board version of training, a great example can be seen here. Plus it MUST include both podcast and blog versions of the exact same training.

iTraining 2.0 approaches training from all angles best suited to the learner and the results of using the iTraining 2.0 method will be greater take rates on training programs, increased retention, high transference, and stronger feedback and evaluation methods ... all leading to greater work efficiency, personal and professional goal attainment, higher sales results, better customer service, and a much improved overall customer experience.

Don't take your training TO the Training 2.0 space. Instead, include the 2.0 space and because of it, enhance your current WBT so it remains the foundation for your training development and delivery efforts. When you have done this, you will have achieve a perfect balance allowing for the greatest learning. I call it iTraining 2.0.

Change the Game in Corporate Training

I want to change the game in training.

Over the past decade I have trained literally thousands of different people (approaching 10,000) and what I consistently hear shocks me. To the core. I've received hundreds and hundreds of comments just like these:

"I have never paid attention to a training class like I did yours - you made it so interesting."
"You are the best trainer I have ever had!"
"Truly amazing, I have no feedback for how you can improve."
"Normally, training class is something we all dread but we all were coming in early and staying after asking questions in your class."

Did you catch that? I said it shocks me to the core to hear comments like those. You'd think it would make me feel special, but I'm not that special...I'm just in an industry that as a whole needs a radical change.

It seems the general approach to training is apathy and America is falling WAY behind in the workplace. Why do so many companies, myriads of companies, accept mediocrity from employees? I'm confident we can right the ship but it will take a do-over. It is time for instructors and learners alike to get on board with a new plan for corporate training.

Stop rushing things. Start over.

Forget everything we thought we knew and focus on only one thing -- the learner. It's not about us.

It's time we change the game in training -- we need to do it for the learner.

I plan to change the game by focusing on Training 2.0 and separating the learner from the traditional handcuffs of training like a classroom, a computer, 3-ring binders...

Welcome!

This training blog will be dedicated to free-form blogging on my thoughts about Corporate Training, 2007 and beyond.

Feel free to visit any of my other blogs, several of which focus on specific Training topics:

blogs.breakthe8020rule.net (Corporate Training "How To" blog w/ accompanying Podcast)
ipersona.blogspot.com (Training and Marketing 2.0)
blogs.kevinmhuff.com (Customer Service Raves!)
breakthe8020rule.blogspot.com (Sales and Marketing 2.0)